Fantasy basketball: Dr. A’s weekly risers and fallers
Welcome to this week’s roundup of the biggest risers and fallers in fantasy basketball!
As the season unfolds, player performances continue to shake up the rankings and impact fantasy rosters. Whether it’s a breakout star making waves or a struggling veteran losing ground, staying ahead of the trends is crucial for your fantasy success.
In this weekly breakdown, we’ll highlight the top performers climbing the charts and those whose value is slipping, helping you make smarter lineup decisions.
Risers
Luka Doncic, PG, Los Angeles Lakers (100% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Doncic was clearly shaken by the trade that sent him to the Lakers, and he didn’t play very well in his first few games with his new team. His confidence was shaken, but he suddenly looks like the Luka of old. It started with a 32-point, 10-rebound, seven-assist explosion in a win over the Denver Nuggets last Saturday, was bolstered by a 19-15-12 triple-double against the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday, and then carried over with a 21-13-5 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday. Doncic is as motivated as any player in the league and is set on going on a tear over the final stretch of the season. He’s now LeBron James’ quarterback and the Lakers have their sights set on winning a championship. As long as he can stay healthy, Doncic is going to go off the rest of the way.
Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG, Indiana Pacers (100% rostered)
Haliburton has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this season but is on fire right now. He has been arguably the best player in the league over his past four games and the Pacers are sitting as the No. 4 seed in the East as a result. Haliburton is shooting 62% from the floor over his past four games, averaging nearly 26 points, 12 assists, 2.5 steals and 5.0 3-pointers and hasn’t missed a free throw since Feb. 3. He’s double-doubled in three straight games and he’ll have to continue to play well if the Pacers are going to hold off the Bucks and Pistons to retain the four seed in the East. Haliburton will help fantasy managers win leagues if he can keep his production up.
Josh Giddey, PG/SG/SF, Chicago Bulls (89.5% rostered)
Giddey has found a home in Chicago and is playing at an incredibly high level, flirting nightly with triple-doubles and posting gaudy numbers (24 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 3.5 3-pointers over his past four games). He’s shooting lights out at 58% from the floor and making a ton of free throws. He’s healthy and should continue to run the point the rest of the way for the Bulls as they look to make the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the East.
Ty Jerome, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers (12% rostered)
Darius Garland has been banged up and Jerome has responded, racking up points, rebounds, assists, steals and 3-pointers in February while hitting nearly 52% of his shots and 87% of his free throws off the bench. He plays only 21 minutes per game, but still produces for his fantasy managers. De’Andre Hunter gets more hype for being a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, but Jerome has actually been Cleveland’s sixth man for most of the season. He’s only another Garland or Donovan Mitchell injury away from becoming a bona fide fantasy star. Simply put, he should be rostered in a lot more leagues going forward.
Bol Bol, PF/C, Phoenix Suns (11% rostered)
Bol went on a four-game tear from Feb. 7-12, scoring in double figures while racking up points, rebounds, steals, blocks and 3-pointers and getting 30 minutes per game. For some reason, coach Mike Budenholzer limited his minutes in the next three games, causing him to be dropped by many managers who had just picked him up. But Budenholzer has gone back to Bol in the last two games, playing him 29 and 32 minutes and Bol responded by averaging 19 points, seven boards, two blocks and 2.5 3-pointers. While we don’t know if Budenholzer will stick with him going forward, there is no reason for him not to. The Suns are on the outside looking in at the playoffs and Bol could be a fantasy force down the stretch for a team going nowhere.
Fallers
Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, Sacramento Kings (100% rostered)
Playing alongside DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray has not done Sabonis any fantasy favors: he’s failed to score more than 16 points in five of his last six games. He’s still a force to be reckoned with, piling up rebounds and assists, but the drop in scoring combined with a lack of steals, blocks and 3-pointers in February has fantasy managers shaking their collective heads. He could snap out of his scoring funk, but DeRozan and LaVine will make it tough for Sabonis to score consistently on a nightly basis. Monk (83% rostered) has also taken a hit with the arrival of LaVine and has only scored 20 points in one of his last seven games.
Ja Morant, PG, Memphis Grizzlies (99% rostered)
Morant has been unreliable this season, playing in just 36 of Memphis’ 58 games thus far, and shot just 40% from the floor for the month heading into Friday’s game against the Knicks. He’s also a turnover machine (3.8 per game in February), isn’t a big threat from downtown (1.6 per game for the month) and has been getting just one steal per game. Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaylen Wells and Santi Aldama have been taking shots away from Morant, and he hit just 7-of-25 attempts in his last game on Tuesday. Morant is still worth starting any time he is playing, but fantasy managers were clearly looking for more when they drafted him last fall.
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (37% rostered)
Hachimura has played a big role for the Lakers since the trade of Anthony Davis, but he played just 18 minutes on Thursday, scoring five points. He’s scored six or fewer points in two of his last four games and may continue to struggle for touches while Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves do the heavy lifting for the Lakers offensively. Hachimura only averaged 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.4 blocks in February and while there’s a chance he can turn it around against the Clippers on Friday, he’s simply not worth rostering if he’s not going to try to score at least 15 points per game.
De’Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers (30% rostered)
Hunter was in the running for Sixth Man of the Year while playing for the Atlanta Hawks, but he was traded to Cleveland where things are much more crowded. He not only has to compete for shots with starters Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, but Ty Jerome is also playing very well off the Cavaliers’ bench. Hunter has scored in double figures and has hit at least two 3-pointers in five of his six games for the Cavs, but the rest of his numbers have fallen off. He’s amassed totals of just 21 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in those six games for Cleveland. The scoring and 3-pointers are fine, but the Cavs simply don’t need Hunter to do much more to keep winning games. The Sixth Man of the Year race has come down to Malik Beasley and Payton Pritchard, leaving Hunter in its wake.
Source: espn.com